Avon and Somerset Constabulary - UK

INTERVIEW: This month Avon and Somerset Police became the first UK force to launch an advocacy service for victims and witnesses of sexual misconduct within the workplace; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to Vicki Moore, the force’s first Sexual Misconduct Liaison Officer, about the support that will be available to those reporting misconduct, the benefits to public trust and confidence, and the potential to expand the service to more issues.

ANALYSIS: Members of the public in England and Wales will have the opportunity to cast their vote for either the police and crime commissioner or mayor who will have responsibility for policing in their region; after the 'blue wave' of 2021, Policing Insight looks at the candidates, the political landscape, and the potential outcomes of this year's elections.

ANALYSIS: Next week will see police and crime commissioner, mayoral and local council elections in the UK, with a general election due in the next few months; former police officer Mark Brown, now a policing commentator and associate lecturer at the University of Southampton, looks at the neighbourhood policing proposals being put forward by the two main political parties, and how they could affect frontline delivery.

INTERVIEW: In the second part of Policing Insight’s interview with Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Sarah Crew, she spoke to James Sweetland about the controversial incidents around issues of race explored in the TV series To Catch a Copper, and her own views expressed last year that the force is institutionally racist.

POLICE FORCE FOCUS: Candidate details for the PCC Elections 2024 in Avon and Somerset, along with details of previous PCC election outcomes.

INTERVIEW: Channel 4’s To Catch a Copper series revealed shocking incidents of misconduct in Avon and Somerset Police; in a two-part interview with Policing Insight’s James Sweetland, Chief Constable Sarah Crew talks about why she let the cameras in, footage of misconduct by officers that left her feeling “horrified” and “exhausted”, and her views about institutional racism.

INTERVIEW: In the second part of Policing Insight’s exclusive interview with the new National Police Chiefs’ Council robotic process automation (RPA) lead Gillian Routledge, she spoke to James Sweetland about why she was so keen to take on this role, how she thinks RPA is perceived by those inside policing, and what it takes to actually implement these tools within forces.

INTERVIEW: In an exclusive two-part interview, Gillian Routledge – the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s new Robotic Process Automation (RPA) lead – spoke to Policing Insight’s James Sweetland about what RPA can offer policing, why it’s likely to free up police time rather than take out jobs, and her vision for making the most of this exciting set of tools.

FREE SUBSCRIBER ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes officers and staff at South Yorkshire Police who now have FREE subscriber access with the start of a new organisation wide subscription. They join a community of officers and staff from many other UK and international police, criminal justice and emergency services organisations with an interest in progressive policing. Read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

FREE SUBSCRIBER ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes staff at the Inspectorate of Policing for Ontario, Canada who now have FREE access with the start of a new organisation wide subscription. They join a community of officers and staff from many other UK and international police, criminal justice and emergency services organisations with an interest in progressive policing. Read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

ANALYSIS: Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass reveals how many candidates have applied for each of the top jobs in policing in England and Wales over the past three years, and finds out what the likes of HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Chair Donna Jones and others believe this shows about the state of the process.

INNOVATION: With the growing UK national focus on the benefits of robotic process automation (RPA) – including the appointment of a new National Police Chiefs’ Council lead – local innovation in this area is all the more interesting; Essex Police are among those trying to leverage the maximum potential from this and other new technology, and highlighted some of those developments at a recent one-day conference, as this first in a series of articles on the event by Policing Insight’s James Sweetland explains.

FEATURE: For Professor Betsy Stanko, co-lead of Operation Soteria Bluestone, policing’s “corporate culture” needs to change; during an event hosted at New Scotland Yard, she called for a new mindset that sees forces learn the right lessons about how they handle rape and serious sexual offences, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

ANALYSIS: A new study from Crest Advisory on the impact of devolving justice approaches to local areas has highlighted the positive outcomes of initiatives aimed at reducing reoffending and supporting specific vulnerable groups in four case study areas, with particular success for “whole-system approaches” delivered under police and crime commissioner and mayoral protocols, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: With the law enforcement use of artificial intelligence (AI) advancing quickly in the UK and internationally, the National Police Chiefs’ Council recently published a new Covenant for Using AI in Policing; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the main principles in the document, and the wider guidance around the ethical, proportionate and transparent use of AI across criminal justice sectors.

FREE SUBSCRIBER ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes Greater Manchester Police officers and staff who now have FREE access with the start of a new organisation wide subscription. They join a community of officers and staff from many other UK and international police, criminal justice and emergency services organisations with an interest in progressive policing. Read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

FREE SUBSCRIBER ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes officers and staff of British Overseas Territories police forces who now have FREE access with the start of new organisation wide subscriptions purchased by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. They join a community of officers and staff from many other UK and international police, criminal justice and emergency services organisations with an interest in progressive policing. Read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

ANALYSIS: In the latest in our series of articles on the policing workforce in England and Wales, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett reviews the official data for the 2022/23 financial year, and explores some of the resulting challenges facing police forces – including the significant reduction in staff and PCSOs, the struggles for some around retention and resignations, and how to adapt to the ‘new normal’.

FEATURE: A recent report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services into the effectiveness of UK police firearms deployment has highlighted shortcomings in the training and selection of firearms commanders, a lack of shared learning and force collaboration, and the need for greater chief officer involvement in communication processes, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: In the second of a two-part series marking the 10th anniversary of the College of Policing – the professional body for officers in England and Wales – Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to Chief Executive Andy Marsh about how it has performed so far, its degree entry programme, plans for vetting units, direct entry and more.

ANALYSIS: When the Government announced its intention to recruit an additional 20,000 officers in under four years, there were many who doubted it could be done, but the target has been surpassed by some way; with headcount grown by 20,951 from the November 2019 baseline, and only one force – the Metropolitan Police – failing to recruit its allocation, Ian Wiggett takes a deeper look at what all this means for the service.

ANALYSIS: It’s long been argued that the police funding formula in England and Wales, which relies mainly on a combination of central government grant and locally set precept, is in need of reform, and fails to recognise the areas of greatest need; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at the increasing dependence on the precept, the challenges around deprivation, and whether politicians are really willing to tackle a funding conundrum that has no comfortable fix.

FEATURE: Disability hate crime has increased significantly in recent years, with autistic people and those with learning disabilities often targeted; Dr Mark Brookes, Advocacy Lead at support and campaign group Dimensions UK, outlines some of the work the organisation is already doing with policing to improve the response to disability hate crime, and the resources and training opportunities available that could help police to tackle such crimes and provide better support to victims.

FREE SUBSCRIBER ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes officers and staff at Northumbria Police and South Wales Police who now have FREE access with the start of new organisation wide subscriptions purchased by their forces. They join a community of officers and staff from many other UK and international police, criminal justice and emergency services organisations with an interest in progressive policing. Read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.